HARRISBURG – Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar (R-Bedford/Somerset) was appointed by Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Alleghany) to serve as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Mining under the standing Environmental Resources and Energy Committee for the 2017-18 legislative session of the General Assembly.

“I am honored Speaker Turzai has trusted me to lead this very important subcommittee,” Metzgar said. “Mining remains a big industry in the 69th District and in Pennsylvania. I look forward to ensuring the voices of the people who are the lifeblood of the mining industry are heard in Harrisburg.”

Metzgar said he will work diligently to grow and protect the coal mining industry.

“Mines have been crippled by government regulations. Pennsylvania has fallen from the second largest coal-producing state to the fourth over the past year alone. My main role is to cut through the bureaucratic red tape. I will deal with the state departments of Environmental Protection, Transportation and Labor and Industry head-on. The coal industry involves more than just mining - there are a variety of good jobs available as truck drivers, mechanics and blasters. I will work to protect mining and bring back manufacturing to the United States,” Metzgar said.